Instrument selection for timing verification Which instrument is designed to capture and display multiple digital signals so they can be compared against expected timing diagrams?

Introduction / Context:
In digital debugging, engineers often compare actual system timing to expected timing diagrams. The correct instrument must sample many digital lines concurrently, decode timing relationships, and display them clearly for analysis.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We need to observe multiple digital channels at once.
• We want to compare against timing diagrams (setup, hold, pulse widths, sequence).
• Signals are primarily digital (logic levels) rather than analog spectra.

Concept / Approach:
A logic analyzer is built to monitor numerous digital lines simultaneously, trigger on complex conditions, and present timing/state waveforms. While oscilloscopes can view a few channels, logic analyzers scale to dozens or hundreds, facilitating bus and protocol analysis.

Step-by-Step Reasoning:
DMM measures scalar values (voltage, resistance, current) and is unsuitable for multi-channel timing.A spectrum analyzer displays frequency content, not multi-line logic timing.A frequency counter measures frequency or period of a single source.A logic analyzer samples many digital inputs and aligns them vs. time for comparison with timing diagrams—this matches the requirement.

Verification / Alternative check:
Modern logic analyzers offer protocol decoders (I²C, SPI, UART) and state/timing modes, confirming their role in validating timing behavior against specifications.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• DMM: no time-correlated multi-channel capture.
• Spectrum analyzer: frequency domain, not logic timing.
• Frequency counter: single number readout, not multi-channel timing display.

Common Pitfalls:

• Trying to force a 2- or 4-channel oscilloscope to do deep timing on wide buses; it quickly becomes insufficient.
• Confusing protocol analyzers (which decode serial data) with timing analyzers; logic analyzers often do both.

Final Answer:
logic analyzer